Wednesday, June 1, 2011

...last week of school

I'm sitting at one of the desks in the K-12 office waiting for copies of the geometry final i'm giving tomorrow. The desk used to belong to one of the secretaries here; she now is working down at the other end of the building for our Superintendent (may he live forever). So this desk is cleared off now, except for my HP EliteBook 8540p, and it's weird. The copier in the Student Services office (SS) is not unlike the 'main' copier that most of the high- and middle-school staff has been using for the past several years, and is now being phased out by a newer, slicker model from another company. The newer, slicker model has been a wonderful beast of burden for us all (it'll staple a big old test wherever the hell you want it to!) for the past few weeks undoubtedly. To-day, though, I noticed some symptoms that were not unlike symptoms Robby the Robot began exhibiting when the Robinsons thought he was all that. I was making copies of my Advanced Algebra exam, a meager single-sided 7 pages (compare to the 19 page double-sided bitch for Geometry =) and right about the end of the jam, what do ya know but the Alert! beeps begin chirping and the Danger! display shows me the 27 spots where there are papers jammed inside. Now I'm no rocket scientist, but should a brand stinking new machine be jamming in 27 places after only a couple o' weeks work?!? So I follows the directions as best I can and tries to remove all the paper. It took about 1500 opening and slamming parts of this machine I had no business exploring, but finally I heard an agreeable hum and away she started again. (It must be said that the whole 'fixin it' process took about 12 minutes or so...enough time to get me breathing hard, cursing loudly, and sweating profusely.)
After one more complete copy damn if the beeps didn't start again and here we were all jammed up like logs on the Mississippi. But this time, I knows what I'm doing - I'm virtually an old pro!!! - so I begin the loathsome ritual once again, this time taking only seven or eight minutes. The paper was hot, but not streaked. There are other options, I remind myself, and ponder this for future jobs.
It's time, now, to photocopy the big-ass Geometry final. Options: retry the new, slick, recently-twiced-jammed lounge copier, remove to the Media Center (where there are way fewer jams, but the copies come complete with streaked black artwork non necessarily budgeted for which has, in the past, obstructed the actual print on the pages), or really remove to the Student Services Office, where I hear tell that copier NEVER jams.
You don't have to guess which option I chose, and my little rambling herein is the result. 20 perfect copies all in the time it took to type this!! Praise God!!!

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August 13th 2017, Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boatand precede him to the other side,while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night,he came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter said to him in reply,"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,"Truly, you are the Son of God."